posted 03-12-2012 06:41 PM ET (US)            

Some of the oil refiners are producing an alcohol free gasoline for recreational vehicles like boats. I have noticed that the alcohol free offerings are almost always at least an 89 octane. Most boat motors are designed for 87 octane. The evil refiners do not offer us an alcohol free 87 octane, just the more expensive 89 or 92.

posted 03-12-2012 07:29 PM ET (US)            

All my marinas sold it under the Valvtech label. There were several gas stations that also sold it at a stand alone pump in Greater Jacksonville-St. Augustine area.

posted 03-12-2012 07:57 PM ET (US)            

ValvTect is a fuel additive company. I am using their anti-gel product right now for my Diesel. They do make a marine additive but I am not sure what it does. I seriously doubt that ValvTect makes their own gasoline. Marinas might be adding the product to their fuel and calling it ValvTect, but the type of fuel they are adding it to is going to make a big difference.

Florida has a mandate that all highway vehicle gasoline has to have alcohol?

posted 03-12-2012 09:13 PM ET (US)            

There are already some prior discussion on CONTINUOUSWAVE on this topic. See

http://continuouswave.com/cgi-bin/sw.pl?Search=Rec-90+gasoline

For details about REC-90 fuel read this material safety data sheet on the product:

http://www.marathonpetroleum.com/content/documents/mpc/msds/0314MAR019. pdf

This Google search returns over 100,000 articles on Rec-90 gasoline:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Rec90+gasoline& ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

posted 03-13-2012 11:14 AM ET (US)            

I agree.

"I think the 90-Octane blend is intended for the inboard engine crowd. Some of those inboard engines are high-compression and need higher octane fuel."

I disagree.

There is a difference between a distributor and a refiner. The legislature says "Hey we need a non-ethanol fuel for recreational use." The refiners say sure, but then they figure out that if they did offer non-ethanol fuel, the distributors might blend it themselves, take the .045 cent ethanol credit, and sell it on the street in direct competition to us. So, let's give them the non-ethanol fuel as mid-grade which is usually about .09 cents higher in cost. Then if they blend it, we are still .045 cents cheaper and they can not compete. The legislature said fuel, they did not say the least expensive and by far the highest volume used fuel.

posted 03-13-2012 12:36 PM ET (US)            

"... The legislature says "Hey we need a non-ethanol fuel for recreational use. ..."

Frankly, our "honorable" legislators do not care about the need of a non-ethanol fuel for recreational use. They are only interested in more taxes and votes from the agricultural related entities and community.

But there is a small benefit that results from the reduced emissions from internal combustion engines.

So the agricultural and environmental communities are extensively lobbying the legislators.

But there is one big detriment - more fuel is required - as ethanol only has about 12,000 Btu/lb whereas gasoline has about 20,000 Btu/lb. Therefore it will take about 7 - 8 % more fuel (I forget what the actual number is) to get to where you want to go - and at the expense to the American public. To me - that is a waste of energy - and a few other things.

Generally, 90 octane is ethanol free fuel. ---- Jerry/Idaho

posted 03-20-2012 02:27 PM ET (US)            

I used 87 octane with ethanol for a couple of years and it ruined my fuel lines and the floats and gaskets in the tanks. The fuel pump and filters were clogged with bits of plastic and the motor just choked to a halt in the middle of the bay one day.

I now use R90 (pure gasoline) and am glad it is available at a station nearby. The R90 pump sits away from the gasoline with ethanol(gasahol)pumps and the R90 is dispensed self service style just like all other gas these days.

posted 03-20-2012 09:01 PM ET (US)            

The Ethanol lobbyists have won with their political clout and persuasion, and Michigan citizens are stuck now buying gasoline with no labeling. It is so stupid--there are labels that say peanut butter contains peanuts, but thanks to eight years of Jennifer we are buying our gasoline without proper labeling.

posted 03-21-2012 08:52 AM ET (US)            

Many are marina's but there are some land based statinos.

posted 03-21-2012 03:34 PM ET (US)            

http:/ / www. maritime-executive. com/ article/ fincantieri-jennifer-gra nholm-elected-to-marinette-marine-corporation-board-of-directors

posted 03-22-2012 09:48 AM ET (US)            

Perhaps it was a wise decision:
http://www.jsonline.com/business/ marinette-marine-plans-to-hire-hundreds-gk4l3lv-143420036.html

posted 03-22-2012 11:58 AM ET (US)            

They must have modified the rules on selling for R90, which still should be R87, in my opinion. If the rule was that all gasoline used on the road was ethanol, the State border should have a check station to catch ethanol mandate violators.

I would put the R90 in my car. If questioned, I would say that for recreation, I belong to a car club and we are going on a ride. Are motorcycles a recreational vehicle? How about a 4x4 with big tires, an RV, a pickup with a camper, or the vehicle used to pull a boat?

If we are going to have mandates, let us all pray for a bountiful corn harvest.

posted 03-22-2012 01:57 PM ET (US)            

When shopping for fuel in our area, one can usually find the appropriate fuel, if you search long enough.

posted 03-23-2012 11:52 AM ET (US)            

Midgrade in the PNW at least, is 40% Super 92 and 60% Unlead 87. I have one location where I do not have a tank for Midgrade but I sell the product through a blender pump.

When leaded gasoline was being phased out, most stations offered leaded regular gasoline 87 octane, unleaded regular gasoline 87 octane and Super Unleaded gasoline 92 octane. When we could no longer purchase the leaded product, we had an empty tank in the ground. That's when the refiners invented 89 octane midgrade. I have yet to see an owners manual for anything that recommends 89 octane. Only some high performance motors recommend 92 octane.

posted 03-23-2012 02:07 PM ET (US)            

Ethanol blends overtake gasoline supply chain

It’s been a long time coming, but ethanol now dominates the U.S. gasoline landscape. The number of wholesale terminals supplying only conventional clear gasoline for truck loadings has trimmed down to just nine out of about 325 rack locations in the United States, according to the latest OPIS and AXXIS rack information. That means less than 3% of the nation’s midstream supply chain is ethanol-free at the racks, providing only
the legacy clear unleaded to customers. A look back at the number of wholesale racks with conventional fuel shows the trend towards ethanol blending has only accelerated in the last couple of years.

In 2009, there were still 94 terminals across the U.S. which sold only conventional fuel and no ethanol--less than 30% of the total racks. That three-year-old U.S. statistic showcased an even lower percentage than
what Canadian racks currently see. In 2010, that number dwindled to less than 70 U.S. wholesale locations without ethanol, and by 2011 the number was down to 35, or less than 11% – still sharply higher than today’s 2.5%-3%. Now, nearly a quarter of the way through 2012, the push towards gasoline blends containing up to 15% ethanol is furthering the cause while creating a wider gulf between what some policy makers want and what a growing chorus of consumers want, not to mention the opinion of automakers.

Push for independence

The push from former President George W. Bush’s administration for fuel independence and ethanol blending requirements gave the United States the impetus to organize infrastructure for mass production, storage, blending and shipping of ethanol for use in gasoline. Fast forward seven years from the original U.S. renewable fuels standard (RFS) requirement and one is hard-pressed to find a wholesale fuel location that houses only conventional fuel and no ethanol. Jobbers loading gasoline can lift only conventional clear fuel at the following racks: West Memphis, Ark.; Winslow, Ariz.; Rome, Ga.; Helena, Mont.; Wynnewood, Okla.; Mt. Pleasant, Texas; Moses Lake, Wash.; Newcastle, Wyo.

To skew the statistics even further in favor of gasoline blending, certain racks contain pure ethanol storage tanks either on site for immediate blending or within a short distance of the terminal: Rock Rapids, Iowa; Wichita Falls, Texas; and Rock Springs and Sheridan, Wyo.

Some gasoline blenders also have the option to add pure ethanol to their partially full truck tanks at transload facilities peppered throughout the country. Alaska is exempt from the RFS mandate, so Anchorage and Fairbanks terminals house only conventional clear fuel. Hawaii is also excluded from the RFS but follows its own blending mandate.

Difficult for consumers

Ethanol-free gasoline has become increasingly difficult for U.S. consumers to find in all markets in the lower 48 states – RFG-mandated and non-mandated areas alike. U.S. government mandates for ethanol blending plus economic advantages enjoyed by gasoline suppliers have paved the way for an all-out takeover by ethanol blends in the supply chain. While it is still vastly available at terminals alongside blended finished fuel, end-users on the retail level are struggling in some regions to purchase conventional clear unleaded. It has been a development closely tracked in the fuel industry but largely lost on consumers. Most end-users have paid little or no attention to policy changes initiated in the gasoline supply chain over the last several years. Most drivers have not noticed a palpable impact from the addition of ethanol into gasoline, instead fixated on the historic price levels for oil and finished fuel.

Many consumers, however, have been forced to seek supplies of conventional clear gasoline for their recreational watercraft, lawn equipment, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and generators. Some also have sought conventional gasoline for their cars after noticing the lower fuel economy that ethanol-blended product causes. In certain markets, it’s become popular for retail gasoline operations to advertise sales of gasoline without ethanol. “Most convenience stores in Oklahoma advertise with very large signs and banners that state ‘no ethanol’ if that is what they offer,” said Candace McGinnis, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Petroleum Marketers Association.

Other consumers in areas mandated to use reformulated gasoline (RFG) with no tenable access to nonblended fuel have had to wing it. States with heavy marina usage have seen the worst of it. Many websites
have been devoted to helping watercraft users. Florida, the state with the largest coastline other than Alaska, has been working on a bill to end the mandate in the state that requires all finished gasoline to contain 9%-10% ethanol. If passed, the bill will take effect in just a few months. With recreational boating widespread, ethanol-free fuel is more readily available. Many motorists have shunned fuel containing ethanol even for automotive on-road use. Once the law is signed, as expected, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will post a list online of retailers with non-blended fuel for sale.

Ethanol attracts water, which can ruin combustible engines. When water enters a fuel tank, the ethanol within the blended gasoline absorbs water and can cause ethanol to separate from the rest of the blend. For example, consumers are told to leave small-engine fuel tanks as full as possible while in storage when RFG is the only option. The same goes for gas cans, which should also be elevated from the ground when stored outdoors, in garages or in sheds. Engines with exposed fuel filters are especially vulnerable.

Consumers can find a privately run, user-maintained list of gas stations selling conventional clear gasoline at http://pure-gas.org.

Taking sides

The two biggest proponents for ethanol in fuel have been the U.S. government and gasoline blenders. The sheer blending economics are often very attractive to gasoline suppliers. Even after the federal Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) expired on Dec.31, blenders have been able to save considerable amounts of money versus conventional gasoline suppliers--some as much as 15cts/gal. For about two years, ethanol blending economics have been generally positive. In fact, 2012 has seen some of the best blending profits in that time--even without the tax credit. These key overarching factors both support blending, even with a fair amount of pushback from other industries, which means the momentum is all on the side of ethanol and its growing infrastructure.

“With the specter of the ethanol blend wall looming and demand destruction becoming a household term, the unrealistic mandates are driving them all to terminal blending,” said Mark Larson of the Colorado/Wyoming
Petroleum Marketers Association.

Few jobbers, blenders and others in the petroleum industry have objected to ethanol’s rise. It’s more the growing refrain of livestock farmers, grocer associations, boating groups and niche environmental groups with eyes on corn prices that have echoed their criticism and objection of ethanol in fuel. Still, the juggernaut fuel additive continues to seep further into the downstream nooks of the fuel supply chain. Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) was once the lone gasoline additive competing with ethanol in the U.S. marketplace. But MTBE was denounced after it leaked from ground tanks and tainted drinking water. The high-grade octane enhancer is now only domestically produced by a couple of refiners strictly for export purposes.